Duke Basketball: Blue Devils Will Run the Table to Undefeated Season

No college basketball team has gone perfect in the regular season since the Saint Joseph's Hawks did it back in 2004, but that could all change this season as the Duke Blue Devils have the talent to accomplish the same feat.

So far, the Blue Devils are 9-0 and have been cruising past their opponents with the smallest margin of victory being five over then-No. 2 Louisville and then-No. 4 Ohio State. Other than those two teams, it's been smooth sailing for Duke, and that figures to continue the rest of the way.

Scheduling certainly favors coach Mike Krzyzewski's squad as the season moves along. For the remainder of the 2012-13 campaign, the Blue Devils have to face only two more currently ranked opponents as Duke shares a pair of games with both North Carolina (20) and North Carolina State (25).

Now, that's not to say that every other team to come on Duke's schedule is garbage, but the Blue Devils could have drawn a tougher path to the NCAA tournament.

An incredible amount of talent is another reason why Duke will run the table. As always, Coach K has assembled a great group of athletes to help return the Blue Devils back to glory.

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The big man on campus and one of the best players in the country, Mason Plumlee, does everything a coach could possibly ask him to do.

Plumlee is the team leader in points (19.2) and rebounds (11.3). Along with Plumlee, the Blue Devils have their interior presence with Ryan Kelly, as both big men combine for nearly four blocks per game.

More punch on the offensive side is added by the likes of Seth Curry (16.1), Rasheed Sulaimon (12.3) and Quinn Cook (10.9), who contributes with over five assists per also. All three of these players can also shoot the three and do so at a 40-percent-or-better clip.

Such a balanced approach to offense has led to balanced scoring, as evidenced by each Blue Devils starter averaging double figures.

Bench depth is also another reason why this squad can put it altogether for an entire game and that's without Amile Jefferson getting into the swing of things yet

On top of all of this, Coach K is the best the sport has to offer. If there is anyone alive today who can coach this team to an undefeated season, it is the intelligence and leadership he possesses that can help get it done.

Along with great coaching, great players and a pretty favorable schedule, this year's version of the Duke Blue Devils has everything it takes to go undefeated.